Patents by Inventor Hirotoshi Maehira

Hirotoshi Maehira has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11669706
    Abstract: A printer includes a print head and a controller. The controller is configured to, using first print data containing a plurality of layers, select at least one, but not all, of the plurality of layers based on weight information regarding respective weights of the plurality of layers, generate second print data based on the selected at least one but not all of the plurality of layers, and control the print head to print at least one patch image on a printing medium based on the generated second print data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Publication number: 20220398420
    Abstract: A printer includes a print head and a controller. The controller is configured to, using first print data containing a plurality of layers, select at least one, but not all, of the plurality of layers based on weight information regarding respective weights of the plurality of layers, generate second print data based on the selected at least one but not all of the plurality of layers, and control the print head to print at least one patch image on a printing medium based on the generated second print data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Patent number: 11465409
    Abstract: A controller acquires image recording data for recording a plurality of passes; determines a first movement distance of a carriage for recording each of the plurality of passes; determines a non-usage ratio that is a ratio of a number of unused nozzles in a last pass of the plurality of passes to a total number of the plurality of nozzles arranged in a conveyance direction; determines a second movement distance in a particular pass which is recorded before the last pass, the second movement distance being a movement distance of the carriage assuming that the particular pass is recorded without using nozzles of a first ratio smaller than or equal to the non-usage ratio; and in response to determining that the second movement distance is shorter than the first movement distance, performs image recording of the particular pass without using the nozzles of the first ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuo Ono, Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto, Satoru Arakane, Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Patent number: 11407243
    Abstract: An image forming system, having a recording head, a sheet conveyer, an inverting mechanism, and a controller, is provided. The sheet conveyer conveys a sheet in a sheet-conveying direction. The sheet is nipped at nipping points located at positions upstream and downstream in the sheet-conveying direction with respect to a discharging position. The inverting mechanism inverts the sheet from a first side to the second side. The controller determines an initial arrangement of the sheet in the sheet conveyer where image-forming on the second side starts, and controls a length of a period between time, when image-forming on the first side of the sheet in the posture with the first side facing the recording sheet is completed, and time, when the image-forming on the second side of the sheet inverted and refed to the sheet conveyer starts, based on the determined initial arrangement of the sheet in the sheet conveyer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto, Yasuo Ono, Satoru Arakane, Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Patent number: 11409477
    Abstract: There is provide an image processing apparatus including a carriage with a recording head and a sensor mounted thereon, a conveyer, and a controller. The controller carries out: acquiring a recording data, a front edge margin, and a tail edge margin, determining whether or not at least one of first and second reference values is less than a threshold value, and a positioning process. When at least one of the first and second reference values is less than the threshold value, then the controller carries out: a front edge detecting process, a first recording preparation process, and a recording process. When at least one of the first and second reference values is not less than the threshold value, then the controller carries out: a second recording preparation process, and the recording process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Hirotoshi Maehira, Masao Mimoto, Tsuyoshi Ito, Yasuo Ono
  • Patent number: 11331931
    Abstract: A liquid droplet discharge apparatus includes: a conveyor which conveys a recording medium in a sub-scanning direction; a head unit including first-kind nozzles and at least one second-kind nozzle; a moving device configured to move the head unit in a main scanning direction intersecting with the sub-scanning direction; and a controller. The controller executes: a first data generation process for generating a first data being used for forming a first image; a second data generation process for generating a second data being used for forming a second image; and a forming process for forming dots by controlling the head unit, the moving device, and the conveyor based on the first data and the second data to discharge liquid droplets on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Patent number: 11318755
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print execution section and a controller. The print execution section includes: a printing head having nozzles from which ink is discharged; a main-scan section configured to execute main-scan in which the printing head moves along a main-scan direction relative to a printing medium; and a sub-scan section configured to execute sub-scan in which the printing medium moves along a sub-scan direction relative to the printing head. The controller obtains object image data indicating an object image formed by pixels, generates pieces of partial printing data by processing the object image data in an order from a downstream side toward an upstream side in the sub-scan direction, and causes the print execution section to execute, a plurality of times, the sub-scan and partial printing in which ink is discharged from the printing head during the main-scan by use of the pieces of partial printing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tsuyoshi Ito, Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Patent number: 11305551
    Abstract: A control device for a printing execution unit including a printing head, a head drive unit, and a movement unit, wherein, in a case where a non-character object region is located at an upstream end of a partial region which is configured to be printed by a first partial printing: dots are formed in a first overlap region by both the first partial printing and a second partial printing, the first overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, wherein, in a case where a character region is located at the upstream end of the partial region, dots are formed in a second overlap region by both the first partial printing and the second partial printing, the second overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, and wherein a length of the second overlap region is shorter than a length of the first overlap region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Maehira, Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto, Yoshimitsu Taniguchi, Shohei Ichikawa, Kengo Noda
  • Patent number: 11267265
    Abstract: A control device that controls a printing execution unit to execute printing by alternately executing partial printings, which forms the dot using the print head, and print medium conveying, which conveys the print medium using the conveyor, the conveyor including: a first roller; a second roller; and a third roller, wherein a first holding state is a state where the print medium is held by the first roller, is held by the second roller, and is held by the third roller, a second holding state is a state where the print medium is held by the first roller, is held by the second roller, and is not held by the third roller, and a length of the second partial image printed in the first holding state is longer than a length of the second partial image printed in the second holding state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Patent number: 11260671
    Abstract: A printer includes a print engine and a controller configured to, when a particular condition is satisfied, control the print engine to perform first partial printing to form first dots corresponding to a first portion of a target image without forming second dots corresponding to a second portion of the target image, perform sub scanning over a first distance after the first partial printing and before second partial printing, and perform the second partial printing to form the second dots without forming the first dots, and when the particular condition is not satisfied, control the print engine to perform the first partial printing to form at least a part of the first dots, perform the sub scanning over a second distance different from the first distance after the first partial printing and before second partial printing, and perform the second partial printing to form the second dots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tsuyoshi Ito, Hirotoshi Maehira
  • Publication number: 20210303232
    Abstract: There is provide an image processing apparatus including a carriage with a recording head and a sensor mounted thereon, a conveyer, and a controller. The controller carries out: acquiring a recording data, a front edge margin, and a tail edge margin, determining whether or not at least one of first and second reference values is less than a threshold value, and a positioning process. When at least one of the first and second reference values is less than the threshold value, then the controller carries out: a front edge detecting process, a first recording preparation process, and a recording process. When at least one of the first and second reference values is not less than the threshold value, then the controller carries out: a second recording preparation process, and the recording process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA, Masao MIMOTO, Tsuyoshi ITO, Yasuo ONO
  • Publication number: 20210300025
    Abstract: A controller acquires image recording data for recording a plurality of passes; determines a first movement distance of a carriage for recording each of the plurality of passes; determines a non-usage ratio that is a ratio of a number of unused nozzles in a last pass of the plurality of passes to a total number of the plurality of nozzles arranged in a conveyance direction; determines a second movement distance in a particular pass which is recorded before the last pass, the second movement distance being a movement distance of the carriage assuming that the particular pass is recorded without using nozzles of a first ratio smaller than or equal to the non-usage ratio; and in response to determining that the second movement distance is shorter than the first movement distance, performs image recording of the particular pass without using the nozzles of the first ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Yasuo ONO, Tsuyoshi ITO, Masao MIMOTO, Satoru ARAKANE, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Patent number: 11077672
    Abstract: A control device is configured to: obtain target image data; generate dot data using the target image data; and control a print execution device to print a print image using the dot data by executing: a first partial printing of forming the dots in an overlapping area and a first non-overlapping area; and a second partial printing of forming the dots in the overlapping area and a second non-overlapping area. The control device generates data of the dot data corresponding to the overlapping area by executing an overlapping area processing including first processing for values of pixels within a first range and second processing for values of pixels within a second range, the first processing including lowering a density of an image to be printed in the overlapping area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Maehira, Masao Mimoto
  • Publication number: 20210229456
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print execution section and a controller. The print execution section includes: a printing head having nozzles from which ink is discharged; a main-scan section configured to execute main-scan in which the printing head moves along a main-scan direction relative to a printing medium; and a sub-scan section configured to execute sub-scan in which the printing medium moves along a sub-scan direction relative to the printing head. The controller obtains object image data indicating an object image formed by pixels, generates pieces of partial printing data by processing the object image data in an order from a downstream side toward an upstream side in the sub-scan direction, and causes the print execution section to execute, a plurality of times, the sub-scan and partial printing in which ink is discharged from the printing head during the main-scan by use of the pieces of partial printing data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Tsuyoshi ITO, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Publication number: 20210162770
    Abstract: A printer includes a print engine and a controller configured to, when a particular condition is satisfied, control the print engine to perform first partial printing to form first dots corresponding to a first portion of a target image without forming second dots corresponding to a second portion of the target image, perform sub scanning over a first distance after the first partial printing and before second partial printing, and perform the second partial printing to form the second dots without forming the first dots, and when the particular condition is not satisfied, control the print engine to perform the first partial printing to form at least a part of the first dots, perform the sub scanning over a second distance different from the first distance after the first partial printing and before second partial printing, and perform the second partial printing to form the second dots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Tsuyoshi ITO, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Publication number: 20210114380
    Abstract: A control device for a printing execution unit including a printing head, a head drive unit, and a movement unit, wherein, in a case where a non-character object region is located at an upstream end of a partial region which is configured to be printed by a first partial printing: dots are formed in a first overlap region by both the first partial printing and a second partial printing, the first overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, wherein, in a case where a character region is located at the upstream end of the partial region, dots are formed in a second overlap region by both the first partial printing and the second partial printing, the second overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, and wherein a length of the second overlap region is shorter than a length of the first overlap region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotoshi MAEHIRA, Tsuyoshi ITO, Masao MIMOTO, Yoshimitsu TANIGUCHI, Shohei ICHIKAWA, Kengo NODA
  • Publication number: 20210094315
    Abstract: A liquid droplet discharge apparatus includes: a conveyor which conveys a recording medium in a sub-scanning direction; a head unit including first-kind nozzles and at least one second-kind nozzle; a moving device configured to move the head unit in a main scanning direction intersecting with the sub-scanning direction; and a controller. The controller executes: a first data generation process for generating a first data being used for forming a first image; a second data generation process for generating a second data being used for forming a second image; and a forming process for forming dots by controlling the head unit, the moving device, and the conveyor based on the first data and the second data to discharge liquid droplets on the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Publication number: 20210023858
    Abstract: An image forming system, having a recording head, a sheet conveyer, an inverting mechanism, and a controller, is provided. The sheet conveyer conveys a sheet in a sheet-conveying direction. The sheet is nipped at nipping points located at positions upstream and downstream in the sheet-conveying direction with respect to a discharging position. The inverting mechanism inverts the sheet from a first side to the second side. The controller determines an initial arrangement of the sheet in the sheet conveyer where image-forming on the second side starts, and controls a length of a period between time, when image-forming on the first side of the sheet in the posture with the first side facing the recording sheet is completed, and time, when the image-forming on the second side of the sheet inverted and refed to the sheet conveyer starts, based on the determined initial arrangement of the sheet in the sheet conveyer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi ITO, Masao MIMOTO, Yasuo ONO, Satoru ARAKANE, Hirotoshi MAEHIRA
  • Patent number: 10899139
    Abstract: A control device for a printing execution unit including a printing head, a head drive unit, and a movement unit, wherein, in a case where a non-character object region is located at an upstream end of a partial region which is configured to be printed by a first partial printing: dots are formed in a first overlap region by both the first partial printing and a second partial printing, the first overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, wherein, in a case where a character region is located at the upstream end of the partial region, dots are formed in a second overlap region by both the first partial printing and the second partial printing, the second overlap region including the upstream end of the partial region, and wherein a length of the second overlap region is shorter than a length of the first overlap region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Maehira, Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto, Yoshimitsu Taniguchi, Shohei Ichikawa, Kengo Noda
  • Patent number: 10821722
    Abstract: A control device for a printing execution unit, wherein, in a case where a character region and a non-character region are included in an overlap region which includes an upstream end of a partial region configured to be printed by a first partial printing, the printing execution unit is caused to print a print image by: forming a plurality of character dots, which are dots in the character region included in the overlap region, by one of the first partial printing and a second partial printing, and not forming the plurality of character dots by another of the first partial printing and the second partial printing; and forming some of a plurality of non-character dots, which are dots in the non-character region included in the overlap region, by the first partial printing, and forming other dots of the plurality of non-character dots by the second partial printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Hirotoshi Maehira, Masao Mimoto, Yoshimitsu Taniguchi, Shohei Ichikawa, Kengo Noda